But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Bild daily he doesn’t expect Turkish-Russian relations to become “so close that Russia can offer an alternative to the security partnership of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation”. About 22,000 people have been arrested or detained by Turkish authorities following the failed takeover.
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Erdogan has accused Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is exiled in the USA, of orchestrating the coup.
No one predicted a radical shift in relations, at least not immediately.
Both countries’ relationship was mended after President Erdogan delivers his apology for the jet that had been shot down.
The normalization of ties clears the way for progress on major energy infrastructure projects – such as Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, to be built with Russian involvement, and a major natural gas pipeline from southern Russia to Turkey.
“On Syria, we think the same on the issue of a cease-fire, on humanitarian aid and a political solution”, the minister said. Turkey takes full part in the Alliance’s consensus-based decisions as we confront the biggest security challenges in a generation.
The ties between the two countries started warming up again after the Turkish president wrote a letter to Putin in which he apologized for the incident in November and offered his condolences to the family of the slain Russian pilot in June.
The move toward normalization of relations must be progressive and gradual, Gadjiev commented.
Welcoming Erdogan in a Tsarist-era palace just outside his home town, Putin signalled on Tuesday he was ready to improve relations with Turkey, which he said had gone from a historical high point to a very low level.
Erdogan, in a Tuesday news conference with Putin, noted that the Russian had been the first foreign leader to call him.
The visit to Russia, Erdogan’s first since the July 15 coup attempt, according to the Wall Street Journal, signals the Turkish leader’s willingness to look to Moscow, traditionally the counterweight to western influence in the Middle East. “For him to bargain means to show that he can get closer to Russian Federation and alienate himself from the West”. Turkey and Russian Federation support opposing sides in the conflict. -Turkish ties, with some Turkish officials implying Washington could have been behind the coup. He also said it was too early to say whether political transition in Syria was now possible. “There’s a lot of common goals, common interests there”.
Erdogan’s trip is being closely watched in the West where some fear his growing detente with Moscow could affect his links with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, of which Turkey is a member.
“If the U.S. does not deliver (Gulen), they will sacrifice relations with Turkey for the sake of a terrorist”, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told reporters during a televised briefing in the capital Ankara.
Erdogan tried to avoid making elaborate comments on Syria, where Turkey and Russian Federation are on opposing sides.
Turkey badly needs the flow of Russian tourists to resume, and Turkish farmers, construction companies and other businesses badly need to regain access to the Russian market, which has been shut to them after the plane’s downing. Mr. Putin noted that the views of the two sides “do not always coincide” when it comes to Turkey’s southern neighbor.
While Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s civil war and further bolstered that support by launching an air campaign last September, Turkey has backed Assad’s foes.
Yet the Kremlin also signaled on Tuesday that it was in Syria to stay. Parliamentary approval is virtually guaranteed.
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Despite the timing of the Russian Federation visit, Ankara has insisted that Erdogan’s meeting with Putin is not meant to signal a fundamental shift in Turkish foreign policy.
